City leaders kicked off the 150th anniversary of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Tuesday, announcing concerts, special exhibitions and activities planned for a park-wide Community Day happening later this year.
For the kick-off event, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer joined park staff and volunteers as they prepared to plant 150 trees throughout the 1,017-acre park.
“As we celebrate such an incredible milestone here at Golden Gate Park, we reminded that so many people use this park for so many things,” Breed said.
Breed, a San Francisco native, mentioned she grew up going to the park, the same park where she learned to first roller skate.
“So many incredible memories, and part of what of makes this park so beautiful, of course, are the unsung heroes; the people who work here, the gardeners, the Recreation and Park staff, the park patrol, so many incredible people,” she said. “They are here every single days, keeping this place beautiful for over 150 years.”
Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, whose district includes most of the park, said, “I have lived here for over 60 years and this park, I have grew up in. This is where I learned to ride a bicycle; this is where my children were raised.
“I remember field trips out here, family gatherings, indeed, many more memories that are soon to be added to our collection of memories as we embark on all the festivities to commemorate the 150th anniversary,” she said.
For the celebration, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, along with the San Francisco Parks Alliance, will hold a Community Day on April 4, exactly 150 years after the California Legislature created Golden Gate Park.
The day is set to feature 150 free event and activities, including a 150-foot observation wheel, music, activities for children, food, and more. In addition, the park museums, gardens and recreations clubs will be free that day.
The day will also include free shuttle service to-and-from the park, ready to transport residents from all over the city.
The 150 trees planted Tuesday for the kick-off event were donated by music icon Paul Simon, who played at Outside Lands last year.
In a statement, Simon said, “It was an honor to play at Golden Gate Park and a pleasure to see the money collected that day being used for the planting of trees in the John McLauren Memorial Rhododendron Dell and Garden of Humanitarians.”
More information about the upcoming celebration can be found at https://www.goldengatepark150.com.